Penn State cannot run the ball, its quarterback is gambling too much and a punt formation that was supposed to block-proof gave up a block and a touchdown.

Yet, Penn State leads Florida 17-14 at halftime of the Outback Bowl. QB Matt McGloin, who had two interceptions and could have had two more in the first half, is quite capable of turning it on at any time, as we saw late in the second quarter. Florida's offense, meanwhile, has not exactly dominated Penn State's defense. In fact, if not for a McGloin pick, the Gator offense would not have scored. So, that's good. And, finally, the Gators have had some injuries, which could help Penn State.

Other observations:

-- JoePa was quick to give then-starting QB Rob Bolden the hook vs. Northwestern, but there is no such standard for McGloin. Why?

-- Here's why: McGloin makes good plays as well as bad plays. He made a great pass to Derek Moye to set up Penn State's second touchdown. He stepped up to avoid pressure to make a nice pass on Penn State's first TD drive. And, under heavy pressure, he made a great, spontaneous flip to Evan Royster for a big gain on Penn State's field-goal drive late in the second half. That was Brett Favre-like.

-- Penn State should not have called a time out with the ball on second and goal late in the first half. That ended up giving Florida more time to work with once it regained possession after the Lion field goal. Had the Lions just huddled up normally, called the play and ran the play on second down, Florida would have had 8 seconds to work with instead of 38 when it gained possession at its own 35. (Penn State's third-down time-out call was fine, as it occurred with only a couple seconds left on the play clock.)

-- Lion wideout Justin Brown had a drop on what would have been a tough catch on their first series. And in the second quarter, Brown appeared to catch a pass but dropped it when he was hit hard by Florida's Ahmad Black. (That play should have been reviewed as a catch and fumble, by the way, as Brown had the ball for a bit before he lost it. He also recovered the fumble.)

-- Florida's receivers have had several drops, too.

-- Lion special teams play has hurt, obviously. The blocked punt was abominable. Another punt had a net of only 29 yards. Another time, backup punter Alex Butterworth failed to down the ball inside the 20. And Lions had trouble fielding the opening kickoff. (State did have one excellent punt.)

-- Don't know how Penn State is going to run the ball successfully in a consistent matter. The only hope is that Florida's lack of depth will have the Gator D-line dragging in the fourth quarter. (I would like to say that backup QB Kevin Newsome, a run threat, would be an option, but he is no longer on the team. Then again, he was an option all season and Penn State never used him.)

-- Pete Massaro, a defensive end who is gonna be very good if not great, was burned on Florida's first touchdown on an end-around. He did not stay home.

Current Comments

Don't know if its harder to watch Urban Meyer or Clueless Joe?
Why do you think that Urban will change his mind again and be back next year?
He likes to make it all about himself.
But, Joe just needs to give it up already.
Of course he enjoys it, of course it is fun, of course he wants his kid to stay employed.
But, the presentation just is not there.
What was up with the timeout snafu? The guys on the radio are discussing that Joe wanted the TO. But, surely the guy was confused and trying to show that he is still in charge.
The powers to be, as Joe said in the interview today, need to move him along.

Posted By: Cburg Freddy | Jan 1, 2011 4:26:17 PM

Matt McGloin singlehandedly won this game for Urban Meyer. It was almost as if he was being paid off to throw directly to the Florida defense.